Power of Attorney
by Where's Beckett
Summary: Kate decides to move forward with her and Rick...but is it too late? Post 4x20
1. Chapter 1

**OH Great!**

 **I tried to not let this story come out but it did. I could not control it**  
 **I will update at least one more chapter soon.**

 **As usual. I do not own any part of this story or the players, names, places or events**

 **This does begin with the opening from an episode but that is where it ends. I go totally AU after that**

 **Please forgive me**

* * *

As she pours a refill into Lanie's wine glass, and her own as well, Kate remarks "I'm telling you, something happened…something's changed…it's been weird between us lately

"LATELY? Kate, it's been weird for four years"

"NO… this is different …he's different…it's like he's pulling away" Kate uses the wine bottle as if trying to emphasize her remark

"Well can you blame him? He's probably tired of waiting"

"WAITING? Waiting for what?"

"What do you think? The guys is crazy about you…and despite your little act, you're crazy about him"

Kate flashes Lanie a harsh look in spite of the fact doctor is totally right about the feelings inside the detective

"OH what, was that supposed to be some big secret?"

She answers in frustration "YES" and now finally wanting to show her true emotions Beckett drops down on the stool "NO!...do you think he knows?

"You remember how he used to be? Girl on either arm? You really don't see that guy much anymore"

Beckett knows that Lanie is totally right

"Why do you think that is?" Lanie pauses then finishes her thought then with a finger pointing at Kate "He's waiting for you"

Kate thinks about her response for a moment "Yeah, but Lanie…"

"I know…you dealing with stuff…unless you are OK with him pulling away"

Kate is expressing her worry about the possible situation "What if it doesn't work out? What if it ends up like you and Javi?

"Well at least we gave it a shot…and so it didn't work out. At least we gave it a try. Now we can move on, except for the occasional booty call"

Kate understands what her best friend is saying and smiles "I just don't want to lose what we've got"

"Girl please what do you have? Really?"

"A friendship?"

"NO. What you and I have is a friendship. What you and Castle have is a holding pattern. How long can you circle before the fuel runs out?"

Kate Beckett know her best friend is totally right in her description of the situation

"OK I will tell him. I just need to get my head straight…I have to make a plan…but I will tell him. I will tell him how I feel"

"Kate, please don't wait too long or it might be too late"

As Kate's cell phone rings "I promise…the next time I see him I will tell him how I feel. I will tell him I am ready to give it a try. I will give him all of me"

She swipes open the call "Beckett" pause "yes? That is me"

She has a strange look on her face then all the blood seems to push from her face and her skin turns snow white "WHAT?"

She drops the phone on the counter and tears appear in her eyes and she seems to have trouble breathing

Lanie picks up the phone and pulls it to her ear "This is Dr. Lanie Parish, who is this?"

She listens for a few seconds then her breathing also begins to increase "WHERE is he?" after a pause she responds "We are on our way. Thank you for calling" She looks across to Kate "Let's go I'm driving"

Using Kate's cruiser with red lights and siren blaring, the two women make record time to Heart of Mercy Hospital. As the two women rush into the Emergency Room doors, the hospital security officers try to stop them but Lanie has already pulled her badge and is holding Kate's as well

"I am Dr. Lanie Parish and this is Detective Kate Beckett. We got a call about Richard Castle"

The security officers still halt the forward motion of the two women. "Stop and let me see your id again" The very large uniformed man verifies the credentials then points toward the information desk "They can help you at the admitting station"

By this time Beckett is running on automatic and Lanie has taken control of the situation. When they arrive at the desk and she has identified herself to the clerk "We were called about a Richard Castle being admitted"

The woman nonchalantly looks at her computer screen "What did you say that name was again?"

Becoming very frustrated Beckett responds "CASTLE…RICHARD CASTLE!"

Beckett's stern action does not seem to faze the woman even a little bit. It is very evident she is accustomed to panicked family and visitors on an everyday basis. She finally looks up from the terminal "He is in trauma 8, but unless you are family, you can't go…" before the clerk can finish her sentence or even look up, the two women are heading toward the automatic doors trying to get through them before they close leaving them outside

Once they clear the gauntlet of staff and doors, Beckett and Parish reach the nurse's station where they find Ryan and Esposito waiting for them

Kate starts questioning. As Esposito is on his phone talking to someone. She begins. "What happened Ryan?"

It is very obvious to Lanie that Kate is not handling the situation very well. She seems to be very concerned

Ryan answers her question "It appears that Castle took a cab home from the Old Haunt. The driver said that he was definitely plastered drunk when he got in the cab and when he got to Castle's loft he had to let Castle out across the street from his building and before the cabbie could stop him, Castle just walked around the front of the cab and out in the street. He was hit by another cab. The other driver never even saw him"

Being the medical professional, Lanie begins asking questions "What are his injuries?"

Ryan looks across the counter toward a doctor who seems to be writing orders "He is the emergency room doctor I saw him going into Castle's room earlier. We are waiting for his report, but he won't tell us anything because we are not family"

Lanie turns and makes a bee line toward the white coated man. When staff tries to stop her, she pulls out her ID and tells them to move out of her way.

Once she approaches the ER doctor they have an extended conversation. He finally opens a computer screen and shows her some images, evidently X-rays and lab reports. She listens as the doctor reads some information off of the notes. She then looks at some other paperwork he has on his clipboard and then he asks Lanie a question. When she answers, the doctor, she turns and looks at Kate while indicating her to the physician. He then hands her a slip of paper and remarks about it. Lanie takes the slip from him

After the conversation Dr. Parish finishes, she steps back toward the three detectives

With a higher level of panic in her voice "Well?" Kate asks, drawing out the word "What did the doctor say? What happened? Is he going to be alright?"

"Kate we need to go somewhere and talk"

Fearing that Lanie is going to be delivering the worst news, Beckett begins to have tears in her eyes "NO! NO Lanie! Tell me. Is he going to be ok? He has to be OK. Please?"

"Come on all three of you and I will let you know where we are"

Kate still tries to pull away but Ryan takes her arm "Come on Beckett"

The four friends move to a family room that is unoccupied. After the group enters the room, Lanie closes the door and sits down on a chair beside Beckett and reaches over and takes her hand.

She takes a deep breath "He is critical. He sustained a severe head injury and is experiencing swelling on the brain. They have him in a medically induced coma waiting on the results of some tests. There are a few broken ribs and his left femur is fractured where the bumper hit him. He was thrown about twenty feet in the impact

Kate is not breathing very well and her two partners see that there is definitely something happening with Beckett more than just concern for a fellow worker

Knowing Beckett is no longer thinking clearly, Ryan begins asking for information "Where's Martha and Alexis?"

"They are in the Hampton's. The local police are on their way to get them and bring them here. It will be several hours"

Esposito needs more "Where was he when the cab picked him up?"

"They said he was at the Old Haunt"

"I've never seen Castle drunk before" Ryan interjects "I wonder why he was that bad off tonight?"

Esposito responds "The reporting officers said they interviewed the driver who told them that he has picked Castle up several times this week and taken him home, and every time he was plastered. This time maybe a little more so"

Ryan looks at the two women "Does either one of you know why he is drinking so heavily?" Both shake their heads

There is a knock on the room door and it opens and they find a nurse standing just outside "Excuse me but I need to talk to Katherine Beckett"

They all have blank looks on their faces when Kate answers "I'm Beckett. What can I do for you?"

She looks at a clipboard pressed against her chest "I have some forms that need to be signed for Mr. Castle"

Kate gets a very confused look on her face "Then don't you need his mother to do that?"

The woman looks directly at Kate "She is not the Medical Power of Attorney"

"Then who is?" Ryan questions

"Ms. Beckett is. She holds the Medical Power of Attorney and we need her to give us permission to treat Mr. Castle. We gave him emergency life support but to continue treatment, we need a signature"

Kate's face again goes ashen at the revelation

"We are all Mr. Castle's friends and I am a doctor. Are you sure about that? The medical POA? His mother should hold that"

The woman is looking intently at the clipboard in her hands "Oh yes, absolutely. The document names a Ms. Katherine Beckett to act as Mr. Castle's Power of Attorney to act in his interest in medical decisions"

"Why?" Kate looks at her partners "Why would Castle do that?"

"Ms. Beckett, you can try to determine that later but right now we need a 'Permission to Treat' form signed, so if you will come with me, we can take care of the paperwork and you can return back here"

Kate stands and exits the family room and walking like a zombie leaves the other three alone in the family room

"What about his condition? What do they think are his chances of making a full recovery?" Ryan asks

Lanie does not seem every encouraged "He has a bad head injury and if they don't get the swelling under control soon he could experience permanent brain damage"


	2. Chapter 2

**I know several are waiting for this**

 **so here you go**

* * *

A Letter to Kate

Kate has sat down at the desk in the conference room. The nurse has placed a large number of documents in front of her. The first is obviously the permission to treat. Following then there is the HIPPA form detailing how the medical information cannot be shared with anyone without permission. Since Kate has the POA she had to specifically list Martha and Alexis as having permission to be given the information

She is given more forms to sign about insurance policies. Fortunately his wallet contained his policy card since Kate had no idea what coverage he had and with whom

She is then given a form to sign marked "Directive to Physicians"

She is looking at the document when the nurse speaks "This is the paperwork in case the patient's condition deteriorates to the point that there is no hope of recovery. Also this is where the 'Do Not Resuscitate' or DNR orders are contained. Meaning that we will take no drastic measures to continue life if there is little or no chance of recovery"

This remark causes Kate to suddenly take in a deep breath and she holds it for an extended period of time before responding.

"If I sign this now and something happens then you will not…" Kate halts in her remark

"We will not attempt to save him"

Tears appear once more in her eyes. She sits silently with the paper in front of her

The nurse finally speaks up "Ms. Beckett…we need this done"

She never looks back up "Let me think about this" then raising her eyes "OK? I need to talk to our friends"

"Very well, but don't wait too long. If we need to do anything…"

Beckett cuts her off "You will do everything to save him. Understand?"

"As you wish" the woman collects the signed documents then hands Beckett a slip of paper "Here is the link to the web page where we found his requests. We did see a letter addressed to you. You might want to read it. He might just tell you he wants to be DNR"

The woman points out a computer on the desk and gives brief instruction in its use then the woman leave the room

Kate is looking at the desk computer that she was just shown how to access, and taking a deep breath she enters the URL from the note slip the nurse just presented to her

When the screen comes up there is a login box. She looks again at the notes and enters the sequence listed. Immediately a password box appears. She looks again but the note has no password written on it.

There is a box below that states 'Login Help'

She presses that button and a single line appears "Your mother would be proud"

For a moment her brow furls with confusion then a light comes on in her head. She types 'Johanna'

The screen immediately changes to a video file followed by a text file. She begins reading the text and she can tell that it is a copy of the Power Of Attorney that the hospital already possesses. This is evidently a copy for her records

She decides to watch the video and puts on some headphones to keep the message private

She moves the mouse over the play button. As her finger hovers over the mouse, she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets it out then begins

The image comes to life with a backdrop Kate recognizes. It is the bookcase wall in Castle's study. A moment later Rick appears from off camera. She can tell he is looking at the camera's screen to make sure he is in the shot. He must have set up the camera on a tripod and he is making the recording with no one else around

"Hi…uh hello…hello Kate. I…I don't really know where to start this is so new. I guess I just…"

He pauses for a moment then continues

"If you are watching this, it means that I have been rendered unconscious or on life support and am unable to make decisions about my own medical care."

She can see that he is struggling with his words

"You are also probably wondering why I am doing this…I mean giving you Medical Power of Attorney and not Martha"

To say she wonders why is an understatement. She can think of absolutely no reason for him to have done this. After all, his mother still has all of her faculties and can make decisions…maybe not always the most logical decisions, but she still can do that.

Obviously Alexis is too young right now, but she is getting close to the age of majority and could do this in a very few months

On the screen she can see him take a deep breath before he continues. It is so evident that he is struggling with his own emotions as he speaks

"I have given my mother the Durable Power of Attorney. That gives her the ability to handle all the financial issues. She has signatory rights to several of my accounts anyway but this makes it undeniable that she can do whatever she needs to do. This file also contains my last will and testament with a copy for you as well"

Why in the world did he leave a copy of his will for her? She wonders

"I need to ask, once more, if this happens…me being not able to…you know make decisions and before Alexis reaches 18 that you be her guardian. Kate she has always looked up to you as if you were her mother…or at the very least a big sister who would always give her good advice. You have been more of a mother to her than Meredith ever was…anyway…"

This letter is driving Beckett totally crazy. He is talking like he is already dead

"Oh…and the reason you have copy of the will is you are included in the estate. I want you to help mother in managing the finances. Of course I don't expect you do just do that without something in return so you will be receiving one fourth of the value. But I do want mother and Alexis to have the lion's share but, trust me, what you will get to have is a considerable amount"

Kate has not realized that tears are pouring down her face and onto the table below. She has made no attempt to stop them or remove them from her cheeks. She just lets them run free

"I do have some specific requests for the guys and the members of the 12th. I am sure you will see to it that my wishes are completed. They are detailed in my will"

She is still struggling with everything happening here and still has no idea why he chose to name her for the job of Medical Power of Attorney

"Now, Kate, for the real reason I am sure you are watching this…why did I pick you for this very important job?..." his voice seems to choke a bit

"I needed to pick someone I knew that could do this job without letting personal feel…" he seems to be fighting back tears "personal feelings for me get in the way of making an informed decision"

She is having more and more trouble watching

"I needed someone other than my mother to do this. I know she would let her love for me cloud her decision and not choose what would be the best thing for everyone around"

Beckett cannot stop the tears knowing at what he is saying. He is asking her to make the decision whether to let him live on advanced life support or allow him to die if there is little or no chance of recovery.

"BUT WHY ME" she screams out loud

"Kate. I know you will make the choice without…without letting emotions…get in the way…"

Again he seems to be struggling in his remarks

"Kate I know that you heard me in the cemetery…and that's…that's OK…well not completely OK. But I just wish…I wish you had told me you didn't love me back and then, maybe this last year might have gone better for everyone around. At least you could have moved on and found someone else to love you and I would not…I uh…would not…"

He takes a deep breath "never mind. I need to leave it there. So the bottom line is…I need you to have the medical decision making power to tell the doctors to turn off the machines keeping me alive… To let me go in peace when the time comes. Since mother and Alexis will never be able to do that because of their love for me, but I know that that even if you struggle with it, it will not be as big an issue to you"

Kate's mind is reeling 'This cannot be happening? He is lying in an ICU bed with all kinds of machines connected to him. He thinks I don't love him when I do love him. I love him dearly and want more than anything to…

…tell him…

…to show him…

…to hold him…

TO LOVE HIM BACK

But he may never hear those words

* * *

 **I have barely started chapter 3 so, it may be a little while before it appears**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am trying to get this thing to stop invading my brain**

* * *

After watching the video that Rick had recorded earlier Beckett leaves the conference room and moves toward the trauma area.

She is stopped by the staff and told it is best she not go in just yet. They are working to make sure he is stable then they will be moving him upstairs to an ICU room

She questions about his status and the staff answer her questions to the best of their ability

With her brain still operating on automatic she returns to the family room where she had left her friends.

Opening the door she is shocked to find the room empty. Walking around the corner to the waiting room she spots not only Lane, Javier, and Kevin but also Captain Gates and LT. There are several of the non-sworn as well

Every eye swings in Beckett's direction when she enters. Lanie, Kevin, and Javi all stand and pretty much rush up to Kate

"Well…" Lanie opens the conversation "What is happening?"

Before Beckett can respond the rest of the precinct have gathered around her

"He is critical…" without even trying to cover her tears "They have him in a medically induced coma but they are encouraged because he still has brain function. The EEG was almost normal they said…"

She pauses "They have him on life support to let his body rest and recover. The broken leg is splinted for now. They will put a cast on him when he is able to get up and move"

Being the medical professional, Lane understand the most of what is being said "Did they give you any indication as to when we can go see him?"

Kate looks toward the door "They are moving him to an ICU room. After he is settles, there will be limited visitation"

"Where is Martha and Alexis?" Esposito asks "They said the police went to get them"

Kate looks up "I didn't ask Javi. Will you go check on that?"

The woman whose demeanor is normally stern and appears to be non-caring about the writer is much softer and understanding today "If they need us to send an escort to bring them in, I will do that"

"Got it" he turns while taking his phone out and beginning to call

This is when Beckett realizes her boss is standing there "Sir…I did not see you"

"You were a little distracted detective"

"Yes sir" Beckett is able to respond

"What do you need?" the captain asks

"Nothing right now, sir. We are on hold I guess. Thank you"

The woman looks at Beckett again "Kate, can we talk over there" pointing toward the empty family room

Kate nods her head and follows the woman

After the door closes Gate looks Beckett directly in the eyes "Kate…how long have you and Mr. Castle been together?"

Thinking she is asking about how long he has been a part of the team "He began with us about four… four and a half years ago"

"That is not what I am asking. How long have you and Mr. Castle been a couple?"

Kate's mouth opens ever so slightly "Sir?...Captain, we are NOT a couple"

"Detective. Do not try to pretend there is not romance between you two. Everyone can see it. I hear the talk around the coffee machine about how long you two have been together. All your co-workers seem to think you are involved with each other"

Kate ducks her head "Sir…believe me when I say that…we are NOT 'together'. At least not like that. We are good friends. No, we are great friends. In fact I call him my best friend other than Dr. Parish…but we are NOT involved like that"

"I don't think you would lie to me about this. At least not right now but to see the hurt look on your face and the pain in your eyes describing Mr. Castle's condition, anyone would think you were talking about the love of your life lying in that bed"

A voice is heard coming from the door way "He IS the love of her life" Lanie Parish has just stepped across the threshold "but she is just now starting to admit that even to herself, sorry for the interruption, Captain but a nurse just came and wants to see Beckett out here"

The captain nods her head as Kate turns and rushes around Lanie out to the waiting room

The nurse, an older woman, looks at Kate "Are you Ms. Beckett?"

"Yes, that's me"

"I need to talk to you alone about Mr. Castle"

Beckett makes no qualm's pointing to the room "These are all our friends and co-workers. What do you have?"

"Very well. He is in a room now" looking down at her notes, "682 in the intensive care unit. If he stays stable visitors can come in and see him but on a limited basis. If he has any problems we can move him to 'High Observation'. That room is open to the nurse's station at all times and staff can watch the patient more fully. But we are hoping he will be able to remain in a regular ICU room"

Kate nods her head "Can I come see him?"

"Yes. You may but only you for now" the nurse directs to the others "sorry, but we need him quiet right now" she looks back to Kate "If you will follow me" then looking back toward the others "I suggest you go home and get some rest. It will be probably sometime tomorrow before you will be able to see him"

The group seems to not want to leave but then Captain Gates tells them "You all go ahead and go home. We will all need you alert tom0orrow. I am sure we will be short one detective for the foreseeable future"

The group slowly disperses except for Ryan, Esposito, and Parish.

Lanie steps up to the other two "she finally admitted to herself and to me she cares for Rick and wanted to make a go…"

Ryan finishes the thought "…and then this happens"

Lanie shakes her head. "Listen guys. Go ahead and go home. I am going to stay with my girl for a little while and see if she needs anything. I promise that I will call if anything changes"

Esposito leans over and drops a small kiss on Lanie "You better, Chica"

"I will" she responds as the two men leave.

Lanie then goes over to the chairs, sits down and looks up on the wall. There is a television that she had not even noticed before. The banner across the bottom is reporting that

"The well-known mystery Writer, Richard Castle, was struck on the street in front directly in front of his home. He is in critical condition and the doctors treating him are not giving him much hope of recovery"

Shaking her head, Lanie closes her eyes thinking 'That is just what Beckett needs to see right now'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kate has entered the ICU unit right behind the nurse. She is still operating on automatic. She walks past the nurses, technicians and some housekeeping staff, all doing their jobs as if the man in room 682 were not the most important person in the world.

But for Kate Beckett, he is

As she enters the room, she is struck be all the medical equipment surrounding the bed. In fact it is difficult to determine that there actually is someone in the bed

There is a video monitor on a pole displaying, obviously, a heartbeat with numbers for heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature.

There are IV's hanging on poles, and oxygen connected to a machine and a large tube in his mouth connected to the large machine beside the bed. His leg is in a sling suspended above the bed and his boy is not only swollen but several bruises are visible

Kate almost cries out loud at the sight. Even though she thought there were no more tears inside. There are new ones crossing her cheeks

She stands a few feet away from the bed just looking at him. His eyes are closed, there is a whoosh of the machine breathing for him and the soft, yet noticeable, beep of the heart monitor being the only sounds in the room. There are wires connected at his head and a machine showing brain activity is occurring

Beckett walks to the side of the bed after the last technician has moved to the hall. She takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out. Looking down to his hand, the only place she can see without an IV needle or some sensor connected, she reaches out and touches him

After a minute of silence she whispers into the room and not any direction "I'm so sorry Castle…I'm So sorry…I'm so sorry"

Over the next hour several nurses and laboratory technicians and respiration technicians move into the room and back out. Each time, Kate has to step away but the moment she can, her hand is reconnected to his

She hears the sound of a soft knock on the door-jam only to see Lanie standing there

Kate looks up without moving "Hey…"

"Kate it's late. I need to take you home"

"Lanie, I'm not going anywhere. I am staying right here"

"Girl, you need to rest"

Beckett looks over at a terribly made chair "I will sit over there, but I am staying"

Knowing that arguing with Beckett is futile, Lanie then asks "Do you need anything? Do you want me to go to your apartment and bring you back something?"

After a brief pause "No. But my go-bag is in the trunk of my cruiser. Will you get it and bring it in? It has a change of clothes and toiletries"

"I will do" Lanie steps back out the door and down to the lot where she left the car. Retrieving the bag from the trunk, Lanie drops it back with Kate and tells her to call if there is a change or if she needs anything

After getting Beckett's promise for updates, Lanie walks to the nurse's station. She hands the staff her business card letting them know that she is a doctor and she wants updates. The staff agree to place this in the file for the next shift

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After Lanie had dropped off Kate's bag and left with repeating instructions to Kate about updates, Beckett is alone in the room with nothing but her, Castle, and a group of machines softly filling the room with sound.

Kate has sat down in a chair and pulled herself up beside the bed. Reaching out to the one hand that does not have an o2 sensor or an IV connected, she looks at his fingers and softly caresses them one at a time. After sliding her hands down each finger gently, she takes his hand and pulls it to her cheek. She kisses the palm before pulling it back to the side of her face.

She wishes he were the one touching her instead of her making the contact

Her eyes are red and dry at the moment. She feels like she has nothing left to cry with ""You have nice hands Castle. Nice strong fingers. Before you kissed me last year in that alley, I wondered what it would feel like to have them touch me. I liked it. They felt good in my hair. On my face. Castle, I want to feel that again, but this time not rushed. Not in a dark alley. Somewhere more comfortable

She then slides up his arm "I want to know how it would feel if this was wrapped around me. Would you hold me gently? Would you hold me hard to your body? It wouldn't matter as long as you were holding me"

She takes his hand and presses it to her chest. "How would it feel to have your hand on my chest? I know it would feel so good."

Her thoughts and words are interrupted by a nurse entering the room "I'm sorry, I need to get his vitals"

Kate pushes back from the bed, stands, and walks over to the counter where she placed her bag along with the envelope the admitting staff gave her. When she sits down on the other chair, she takes the envelope and pulls out the documents including the DNR orders. Along with the paper items, there are several other items

One is his watch. Kate does not know how, but she feels tears welling up in her eyes. She is remembering when he had her father's damaged watch fixed and gave it back to her. This is one of the early signs of the real Richard Castle showing up. The man who cared about people. The man who cared for her enough to recover an item that meant so much to her and return it repaired

Even though it is way too large, she places on her arm for safe keeping

Another item is his wallet. She turns it around in her hand several times considering if it is appropriate for her to open and look inside. Deciding that if he trusted her enough with his very life, he would know she would not do anything not in his best interest.

Besides a ridiculous amount of cash, his driver's license, platinum credit card, she discovers his photographs.

She looks at several images of Alexis and his mother then, once more, her eyes burn when she sees there are several photographs of her. Images she does not recall him taking so he must have done so when she was not paying attention

After recovering from that shock, she finds a simple slip of paper. When she opens it the top line is clear 'Bucket List' several people carry one of these around.

She tries not to read down the paper and let his dreams be his dreams, but the first line stops her cold

"Get Kate to Love Me"


	4. Chapter 4

Kate Beckett had not realized just how exhausted she was when she sat down on the chair also known as a fold out bed. Her mind and her body were completely used up, she just was not aware she was beyond exhausted

After sitting down in the chair, she had taken off her shoes, and pulled her legs under herself clustering her body into a fetal ball and then leaning back against the totally uncomfortable back rest. It lay slightly back making it only a little more tolerable

As she was, in fact, beyond tired, her body succumbed to sleep in moments even in the situation

Sometime during the night a nurse had come in discovering Kate and returned to the room with a heated blanket and covered her with it warming her body and helping her sleep. She also had put a pillow under her head so at least she would have a chance on waking without a cramped neck

Kate was not aware of the new visitors in the room. Martha and Alexis had come in sometime during the middle of the night. They made no attempt to wake Beckett having heard from the staff that Kate had chosen to remain in his room and refused to go home and was in desperate need of rest

The other two Castle women had arranged for another chair to be brought in to the room, even though it was against policy for more than two visitors in a patient room at a time staff allowed it for tonight

The room begins to glow a gentle orange when sunlight begins to breach the binds covered the windows. Alexis has gone to the café on the main level to get some breakfast for herself and her grandmother when Martha notices Kate's body begin flinching. It is evident that Beckett must be returning to awake possible from a dream.

Martha waits until she sees Kate's eyes open and she looks around like she is not sure where she is initially. Then Beckett stretches out her legs from under the blanket and her arms out to her side. She looks like a butterfly escaping its cocoon

This is when she notices Martha sitting in the room

Beckett sits up straight in the chair and reaches up to finger her hair back away from her face

"Good morning Katherine, darling" Martha begins

"Morning Martha. I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep. When did you get here?"

"Alexis and I arrived about three this morning"

Kate looks at the bed and sees no change in Castle "Has the nurses said anything about his condition changing?"

"No. They said he is stable for now"

Kate nods her head in acknowledgement to his mother's remarks. Looking at Beckett Martha is facing with two red swollen eyes. She has never seen this with Kate even when her mother's case was being discussed

After a poignant moment of silence, Martha speaks back up "Kate, you did not have to stay last night. You need to go home and rest. We can take it from here. I know you have other responsibilities"

Kate senses what Martha is saying. That his mother also knows about Castle's belief that he is only a friend to Beckett

"No Martha. I need to be here. I have to stay"

"Darling there is no need for you to inconvenience yourself. If we need anything we will call you"

"This is not inconvenience. At least not for me. This is…" Kate is not sure how much to say "This is important for me."

"I know you feel obligated to stand beside your partners but I also know that your work is extremely important and you should not leave that work undone "

Kate stands and walks over to the side of the bed. Once more taking his hand into hers. She is feeling the tears well up again in her eyes. "Martha…I…I love him. I am in love with him. Somehow I feel like this is my fault and I need to…I have to tell him. I want to be here when he wakes up so the first words he hears are mine telling him that I love him"

That revelation catches Martha totally off guard. The last thing her son had said concerning Kate, was the fact he heard her confess that she remembered what happened in the cemetery so that had to mean she didn't feel the same

"Katherine…I thought…Richard thought… that you did NOT have feelings like that for him"

Kate does not take her eyes off his face. I know, and that is totally my fault. And I plan to fix that…this. As soon as he wakes up"

"I see" Martha responds

Then a voice can be heard from the doorway as Alexis enters "So detective. You have been stringing my dad along all this time?"

Beckett turns to face his daughter "No Alexis. I was not stringing him along. I was working to be better myself. I have seeing a counselor, who told me I had to move on from my mom's death and let my love you your dad come out. And last night I decided to do just that…"

She looks back at Castle "Then this happened"

"So you do really, truly LOVE my father?"

As if her red swollen eyes were not proof enough "I love him with all my heart and I have never felt that way about another man…EVER"

"Well you need to know how much he loves you too"

Kate gets a lost look "What do you mean Alexis?"

"He has been working to protect you"

"Protect me how?" Kate looks at the young red head

"He has worked to keep you away from your mother's case"

Kate seems to understand "That explains a lot"

"What do you mean Katherine?" Martha asks

"Rick had told me to live my life and not let this drive me. He pushed me away from even looking into it…" looking at Alexis "Has he been investigating himself?"

"I think he has some information. The files Ryan and Esposito gave him after you came back to work but there is more"

"More?"

"Someone had called him and told him to keep you away and he has been protecting you by doing that. It was a friend of Captain Montgomery. He has information damaging to the ones involved in all this"

Martha adds "It is like Roy was still looking out for you"

She immediately knows how hard that had to be for Castle. She had told him the case had to be solved before she could move into a relationship and he is pushing her away from doing that preventing them from having that relationship.

"Are you angry at my dad?"

Kate looks at Rick then walks over to the bed "You should not have done that…" she leans down to his ear and touching his face with her hand "And it makes me love you even more"

There is a knock on the door and the three women see several medical personnel standing in the opening "Good morning, I am Doctor Evans, I am the neurosurgeon assigned to Mr. Castle. Are you all family?"

Martha answers immediately "Yes. I am his mother and this is his daughter" pointing to Alexis "And this…" looking at Kate "this is his girlfriend and power of attorney" Now making Kate aware that Martha was knew of the medical decision power Kate was given and offering her blessing for him and Kate.

"Well ladies, we have some news. The latest scans do not indicate any brain damage. In fact watching him last night we noticed his brain activity increase whenever Ms. Beckett was talking to him so we believe he is responding to stimulus"

"That's good? Right?" Alexis questions

"Yes. That is very good. We are planning on removing the breathing tube and stopping the coma inducing drugs this morning. Let him wake up"

Alexis asks the next question "Will he wake up soon then?"

"We hope so. Physically, he is strong and he seems to have a great support system in the three of you"

Kate fills in "There are a lot more friends out there wanting to hear good news too"

"Well then, let us extubeate him and see where we go" The doctor directs the staff to begin the process then turning back toward the women "You might want to wait outside while we do this. We will be about an hour. We want to make sure he breathes on his own after we remove the tube"

All three turn and head toward the door, then Martha stops and walks to the bed. She leans down then kisses his cheek. "Wake up soon son"

She is followed by Alexis who does the same "Hurry back dad"

Finally Kate steps up, leans down to his ear and whispers something to him and also kisses him at the mouth just outside where the breathing tube enters his lips. "I will be right here"

The doctor notices the change in Rick's EEG when Kate was near him and talking to him

Once the trio is out in the hall and the door closes, Kate leans against the wall and closes her eyes. When she opens them she sees the other two women staring at her

Martha finally speaks up "Katherine, darling…you look like hell"

She smiles gently "That is an improvement over how I feel"

Alexis reaches to Kate's arm and pulls her. "Come on detective let's go get some coffee in you. You look like you could use some"

"I definitely will take you up on that offer"

The three walk toward the elevators and ride down to the basement and the hospital cafe

* * *

 **I do not subscribe to the Beckett blowing up over Castle protecting her or him blowing up over her.  
These are two dorks in love  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Martha and Alexis each grab a coffee while Kate selects a bowl of fruit to go along with her caffeine fix

Martha refuses to allow Kate to pay and makes Alexis drag Kate to the seating area as she takes care of the check. The three women have settled into a comfortable table in the large café serving the hospital. Both guests and staff dine here so the ladies assume the food must be tasty and probably nourishing

Kate just begins to realize how hungry she truly was when the first taste of a fresh strawberry crosses her lips. As her eyes close. "I needed this. Thank you Martha"

"You are welcome darling. You look like you need a lot more than a few berries though. We need to get some real food in you. Like a steak or a large pizza with everything"

Beckett lets out a soft chuckle at Martha's words

"Kate we have not been told exactly what happened. Do you know?"

Realizing that the two red heads might not be willing to let Kate off the hook for Castle's drunken behavior, she tries to think of a way to tell them but chooses the high road "It's all my fault"

"What do you mean, it's your fault?" Alexis responds

"Your dad was drunk. He had been drinking at the Old Haunt and the cab took him home. When he got out, he was struck by another car"

"How it that your fault?" Martha questions

"He was drinking because he thought I didn't love him" tears appear once more

"Katherine darling…can we move past this? We all make mistakes and Richard drinking was his own choice. I drink when I'm happy. I drink when I'm sad. So don't use that as a reason he was drinking"

"Bur Martha…if I had told him earlier how I feel, he wouldn't be in that bed unconscious"

"Kate. Don't blame yourself. My dad hid stuff from you too. So I think you can let this go. I bet after he wakes up he won't want to drink ever again. It is in the past now. The doctors say he will be OK. So let's all work toward bringing him home." Then she looks at Beckett "with a new woman in his life"

Kate is surprised by how she is being accepted by the two women. She just knew they would want her gone from his life but they are accepting her. He must have made it clear he wanted Kate a part of his life in any way possible. Romantically or even not

The three women have returned to the sixth floor and back to Castle's room. Now the machines are gone except for the EEG and heart monitors. He looks like he is just sleeping quietly

Kate allows Martha and Alexis go to the bedside. She hangs back allowing his two ladies be immediately beside the bed. One on each side

When Alexis notices Kate holding back she turns and takes her hand "Detective, come up here" pulling gently "He needs you beside him"

Kate seems a little nervous

"Katherine darling. Get up there" pointing at the bedside close to the head "You are now part of this family"

The three women take turns being in the room now observing the rules about the number of visitors. Each woman exiting for a period of time then returning to cycle through

While out in the waiting room Beckett calls Lanie then the precinct to give everyone an update on his situation.

After reporting to all Kate calls directly to Captain Gates' office. When she answers Kate is a little nervous as to how Gate will respond to the request

"Kate is there something wrong?" she wonders after Kate has just given them all an update

"No sir but I do need to ask a favor"

"Anything you need detective"

"You were right about Castle and me but we just had not completely gone into a relationship. At least not the one we both want, so I am wondering if I need to take a few days off if I can. I want to stay here until he wakes up"

"Kate, you have almost six months of time available. I looked it up, just in case. Take whatever time you need"

"Thank you sir. I appreciate it"

"And when Mr. Castle wakes up, tell him I would appreciate him not disrupting the station again by getting hit by a car" Kate can hear the laughter in the captain's voice

"Yes sir"

Kate rotates back into Rick's room and Alexis leaves for a period of time

Martha looks at Kate as she sits down "You get everything worked out with Captain Gates"

Beckett smiles while looking at Rick "Yeah. I have the time off. I am staying here until he wakes up"

After six hours have passed Kate steps up to the nurse's station "How long will it take him to wake up? It has been over six hours since the drugs were stopped"

"Sometimes it can take a little while, but his vital signs are all good. Just give him until the end of the day. We will keep watching him for signs of coming out of the coma"

The next six hours pass with no change in his condition. There is no change in his vital signs or blood work. The staff tells the women it might be tomorrow and they can go home. The hospital will call them if there is a change

"Kate looks at the bed "I'm not going anywhere"

Martha steps up beside Beckett "Katherine darling, you need to go home and get some real sleep. You have been here almost 24 hours"

The brunette shakes her head no

"Well at the least go home and clean up. You will feel so much better after a nice warm bath"

Kate looks down at herself. She is bedeviled and knows Martha is right about getting cleaned up "OK I will go home, grab a shower, and bring some more clothes. But I will be back as fast as I can"

After Beckett leave the room and Alexis returns "Grams, what do you think about this situation. I mean dad and Beckett?"

"I think if anyone can make him wake up it is Kate. He loves that woman like nothing I have ever seen and from what she is doing now I believe her feelings are every bit as strong as his. Those two have danced around this for years and it is time for the dancing to stop"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Two hours later a refreshed Kate Beckett enters the room carrying a larger overnight bag. Alexis and  
Martha are both sitting in the room when Kate arrives

"Any change?" Beckett asks the moment her duffle bag hits the floor

"Nothing. No change at all. The staff says his vitals are normal. The ECG and EEGs are both normal. The EEG is slightly less active than it was but they are not worried"

Kate walks up beside the bed and, once more, takes ahold of Rick's hand. She wraps her fingers into his "Hey babe. I'm back" she picks up his hand again places it on her cheek then kisses his palm. Unknown to the three women the staff notice an uptick in his EEG when this happens

Martha stands up and turns to her granddaughter "Alexis. Katherine is here to watch your dad. I really need to go home and we both need rest" Martha then turns toward Kate "You will call us if something changes? Won't you darling"

Beckett barely looks up "I will, absolutely"

The two red heads exit the room leaving Rick and Kate alone. She pulls a chair up beside the bed again so he can sit beside him.

After about an hour, she can feel her body, once more, succumb to the late hour and the long tiring day.  
She stands up, takes her bag, and walks into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Kate exits beck into the room. She has changed from street clothes and has put on a pair of pajamas. Long pants and a short sleeve top. She will, at least. Be comfortable for the night

She walks over to the horrible chair and tries to pull it out to be a real bed bur us having absolutely no luck. She steps to the nurse's station to get help but they are not able to get the chair to convert. The charge nurse looks at Kate with an apology on her face "I am sorry. That will be terrible again to sleep on"

Kate nods her head and the nurse exits the room.

For a brief moment in time, Kate looks at the chair then looks at the bed containing Castle. With no hesitation she walks over to the bed, pulls back the coverings and climbs in next to Rick on the side opposite the broken leg.

She reaches out to his arm and pulls it around her shoulder and snuggles into his side. She places her arm around his chest and places her head into the nape of his neck to a place where she can whisper into his ear and not be heard elsewhere

With her eyes glistening once more she begins talking to him

"I hope you can hear me….No Wait… I know you can hear me. And for once you are going to listen to me and do what I say…."

She looks at his face and then finds herself leaning up and kissing his lips gently "and what I want you to do is to wake up."

Then trying to put a little humor into her statement "We need to talk" then she kisses him once more

She lays her head back on his shoulder and once more finds herself snuggling into him

With the warmth of his body beside her and the safety she feels and the comfort of a real bed, albeit a hospital bed, she quickly drifts off to sleep

Almost as soon as her brain moves into REM sleep and her dreams take over her mind. The first event she sees is him standing in the alley telling her they could have dinner and debrief. She recalls the smirk she gave him and the quick brush off and then his remark how they would be great together. But unlike her remark that day, this time, in her dream, she accepts the invitation.

In the dream she enters his loft and the moment they pass the doorway to the bedroom she lies on his bed and he hovers himself over her and begins shaking her shoulder…

She wakes up with a nurse standing above the bed "Ms. Beckett…Ms. Beckett…wake up. It's morning"

Kate opens her eyes and sees the day shift nurse standing beside the bed and morning sunlight coming in the windows

Kate sits up embarrassed to have been caught in the bed with Rick "I am sorry, I know I should not have done that…, I mean sleeping with him…"

"Ms. Beckett. It is perfectly alright. We allowed you to stay there because as soon as you got in the bed with him and started talking to him, the EEG came up several points. It seems your presence may be helping him"


	6. Chapter 6

**This thing is getting out of hand. I need to hurry up and finish so I can go back to my fun murder.**

 **Oh did I just say a murder was fun?**

 **The is definitely something wrong with me**

* * *

The next day comes and goes with no change in Castle's condition. He is still in a coma. When asked about the situation, the doctors can only say that sometimes a person who has an injury to the brain, it will have to spend a little more time healing before return to conscientiousness

During the daylight hours, Kates has not left Rick's side except to go to the café to grab a bite to eat. She promised that she wanted to be there when he wakes up and that the very first words he hears are Kate telling him that is that she loved him and she wanted to be with him. That she wanted to give all her heart to him

When the day comes to an end she, once again, she changes into sleepwear. And once again she crawls up into the bed with Castle and snuggles into his side. Once again she tells him she wants him to wake up so they can spend the rest of their life together

Just moments after she ways those words to him, she realizes that just admitted that he was her one and done

As she drifts off into sleep a nightmare takes over from inside.

She recalls the Dick Coonan case and in chasing of clues they are told that the man who performed thee hit was the same shadow figure who actually murdered Kate's mother.

Her love for Rick began somewhere in this time when, once again, he acted, not in his interest, but her interest to provide the money to bring the man out

Her and Castle worked through the information to discover that Dick Coonan was, himself the murderer of Johanna

Her dreams take her to Castle being held at gunpoint in the precinct by Dick Coonan. How they had just figured out how he was the actual hit man hired by the person at the top someone who wanted to kill her mother.

She replays in her dream how, in a flash, she had to decide between saving Rick by shooting Coonan or let Coonan kill Castle and maybe get some information from him instead

In a millisecond she made the decision saving Rick by putting a bullet into her mother's killer's chest.

The next few minutes she spent performing CPR on the already dead man trying to keep him alive long enough to get answers.

She remembers how desperate she was and how the only thing that stopped her futile attempt was when Rick placed his hand firmly on her shoulder and pulled her away.

Rick's hand pulling her, this time, became the hand of Martha walking Kate up from her sleep

"Katherine…Katherine darling. Wake up. You are having a nightmare. You were moving around in the bed"

Once more Beckett feels embarrassed being caught in the bed holding tight to Castle "Sorry Martha"

"Don't feel sorry darling. Your presence has been good for Richard. The staff says that you being here has been good for him. While you are here, his brain activity increases and his vitals stabilize, so please keep doing what you are doing and maybe we will get him back sooner"

Kate stands up and tries to brush her hair from her face using her fingers as a comb without much success

Kate then goes into the bathroom to change from sleepwear to street clothes. When she returns to the room there are staff checking on Rick

"Is everything alright?" Kate asks as the nurses are entering data into the computer in the room.

"Yes Kate. We are just making sure all the leads are working" A Technician standing by his head responds "His stats dropped a bit a few minutes ago and we are checking all the leads to see if that is why"

As the medical staff are finishing on checking over Rick, Martha pulls Kate aside "You do know the reason his numbers dropped is because you stepped away from him?"

With a look of worry Kate glances back toward the bed "You really think so Martha?"

"Yes darling. You are having a profound effect on his condition but right now you need some real rest. We can't have you wearing out. Why don't you go home for a little bit? Just sit and relax then you can come back"

Kate does not take her eyes off the sleeping man "I think you're right Martha. I do need to get some more clothes, grab a quick shower. And I forgot my cell phone charger. My phone died last night and I need to get that as well"

"Good. I will be here while you're gone"

"I won't be long…and if anything happens, you call me immediately. OK?"

"Go dear" Martha points toward the door "We will be fine and I will call"

Reluctantly, Kate Beckett takes her overnight and walks out of the room

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When she gets home she goes directly to her nightstand and gets her charger. This is when she notices there are several messages on her home phone. She presses the play button and receives an onslaught of messages from Lanie, Kevin, Javier, and even Gates checking on the situation. They had all figured that Beckett's phone must be dead, since she had not answered it since yesterday

She once more grabs a quick shower, empties the dirty clothes into the hamper, and loads up more clothes so she can return to the hospital.

Looking around her apartment she notices how empty it is. She thinks about how she has lived a solitary life until one pesky writer showed up and turned her world upside down. She puts a sneer on her face and thinks that as soon as he wakes up she is going to bring him here to fill the empty spot he has wanted to fill and she plans to ride with him all the way to that goal

Returning to the hospital, she finds her friends have all arrived for a visit. But more than just a visit they brought dinner for her, Martha an Alexis as well. They take the food to the ICU waiting area and spread it out like a picnic. They all dig in

After everyone is well into the meal, Lanie notices that Kate has barely touched her food

"What's wrong girlfriend?"

"Nothing" Kate answers while looking at the door then tears appear in her eyes

"Something is wrong"

"What is he doesn't wake up. What if the damage is so bad he never wakes up?"

Martha reaches over to Beckett's arm "Katherine Darling. He has been responding more and more to your presence. I am sure it will be very soon and he will be his old self."

Kate is still blaming herself for Castle's condition but Martha and Alexis have been accepting that he did the drinking all on his own

The evening comes closer and Martha and Alexis again head home to the loft leaving Kate in the room with just her and Rick.

Kate pulls the chair back to the side of the bed and, once more, takes his hand into her own cheek. This has become a habit for her now. She is hoping his sensitive fingertips will begin responding to her touch

She sits beside the bed and watches the screen of the television hanging on the opposite wall. She has not seen any of the network police drama playing on the receiver. She laughs internally with the crime solving occurring in the show

"They make it look so easy" she actually speaks out loud. This makes her think that she might just talk to rick about some of their old cases in an attempt to bring him back to waking

"Do you remember our first date? Yeah, I will admit it was a date. You went to Drago with that bimbo bachelorette and I went with Mr. July. You and I did our usual bantering and theory building and then after we caught the killer you took me to Remy's for burgers. I really do think that was our first date and have to tell you it was the best date I ever went on before or since"

Then the screen talks about a murder in the Bronx where a blond woman was found in an ally.

Kate's mind immediately goes to the 3XK killer. Kate leans into Rick's hand and lays her head on the back of his arm while still holding his hand

"You remember when I went looking for you and Ryan. I found you in a hotel room tied up and Kevin on the floor…"

She turns her head and kisses the back of his forearm "That was the first time I took your hand and held it…like a friend…a lover… might hold your hand"

Kate startles when she thinks she felt his hand tighten on hers. Her head snaps up and she looks directly at his face "RICK! RICK! Castle! Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me…"

There is no movement

"Come on Castle. Squeeze my fingers. I want you to wake up"

There is no movement

Kate stands and rushes out to the nurse's station and finds his nurse and drags her back into the room

…

After several more attempts and several quicks reflex tests there is no more sign of movement

"Kate, I am sorry. It might have just been a muscle spasm. But there is no indication of conscious movement…sorry"

After the nurse leave the room Kate, once more, goes into the bathroom, changes clothes, and returns to the bed. Pulling the covers back, she climbs and snuggles up to Rick

With her head lying softly on his shoulder she begins talking to him "I love you Castle… I love you …I love you"

She leans up to kiss his lips "Hurry up and wake up so I can show you I love you"

She settles back down, closes her eyes and soon drifts into sleep thinking of another time they were moving closer

She is sitting on a couch in LA facing Rick thinking about her former training officer, Mike Royce "I was so in awe of him…...when I first met him. I hung on his every word. Then I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me…" She smiles letting the memories course through her mind. "I can't believe I'm never going to see him again"

A long pause occurs as Castle shifts on the couch looking more directly into her eyes "Do you know what I thought when I first met you? That you were a mystery I was never going to solve"

Even in her dreams, she feels her heart race

"Even now…after spending all this time with you, I'm still amazed by the depths of your strength…your heart…and your hotness,,,"

She realizes her heart just stopped with his words and his looks. He is sitting here waiting for her to react to his statement.

She needs to reach…she needs to move…she needs to tell him she feels the same way.

She is barely able to speak. "You're not so bad yourself Castle"

His eyes are piercing into her soul. She know what he wants. She knows she wants it too

She begins to move toward his side of the couch. She is a mere inch from his lips. Ready to give him what she so desperately wants to give him…

WHEN

She is startled awake by her cell phone. A ring she programmed for emergencies is sounding

"NOT NOW!" Her heart screams as her eyes open

She reaches to the night stand retrieves her annoying device "Beckett" is mumbles thru her addled brain "Yeah Ryan…what is it?"

She sits straight up in the bed "Is Evelyn alright?"

Kate spends the next few minutes listening to a report about a break in at Roy Montgomery's home and the suspect being found shot execution style. Ryan passes the phone over to Esposito who continues to report that they were able discover that the suspect had been paid a lot of money to get Roy's computer and his wedding album was also missing.

Giving the phone back to Kevin who finishes the report "Kate it has something to do with your mother's case"

Beckett closes her eyes and tears begin running down her cheeks.

After several beats she responds "Ryan…I need to finish what I am trying to do with Rick. This is too important"

She takes a deep breath "Go get the files from Castle's house. Alexis and Martha know about what he has been doing. They can get the information for you"

After another pause" Fill Gates in"

She pauses again "We are going to do this right"

* * *

 **I am trying to find closure soon. Maybe three more chapters?**


	7. Chapter 7

This was not how she wanted this day to begin. Getting a phone call that the hired killers are back out ready to go after her and the Montgomery's, or even Castle, Alexis and probably the person protecting her

This is the only reason she can think of that would bring the dragon beck out of his cave and for these things to happen.

She goes into the bathroom and washes her face and then returns to the bedside of the man she just choose over her mother's murder.

Sitting back down in the chair she takes rick's fingers into her own once again. Then places his palm to her lips and kissing them once more to start the morning with the little intimacy available to them right now

"Please babe. I want you to wake up. I need you to wake up. I want to tell you all the things I feel. I want to show you the things I feel. I want to feel your lips on mine. I want to feel your arms around me"

Kissing his hand once again "I…I want you to feel my love. I want you to feel me kissing you. I want you to feel my hands wrapped into yours"

Once more she lays her head down on the mattress beside his arm. Her head snaps up when, once more, she swears his fingers just tightened on hers

"Castle…Castle. I felt you squeeze my hand…please do it again. Squeeze my fingers. I want you to hold my hand tight"

No more movement occurs. The only action is her talking to him

After several minutes of just wanting…wishing…hoping for movement she lays her head down beside his arm. As her nighttime rest has been less than rest she dozes off.

Sometime after sleep takes over a staff member enters the room. The nurse stays quiet as she checks Castle' blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels. The nurse notes that the patient's EEG continues to improve whenever Kate is near him

With his closeness and warmth, she once again, begins to dream.

This time she is standing in the police department's command van talking to Esposito on the phone about woman found dead and what was their next move is going to be…

When her entire world crumbles around her. The sound of the explosion was of sufficient force to jolt her off the desk where she was sitting. Exiting the door she sees what appears like the total destruction of the bank where Castle and his mother have been held hostage for the last several hours

With her heart in her throat he joins the entry team. She wants them to get out of her way and let her go find the victims. She feels deep inside her heart that Rick and Martha are OK. They have to be OK. She is almost ready.

When she hears his voice responding to her screams her heart rate climbs. Turning the corner she located all the hostages tied up inside the steel and concrete vault protecting them from the force of the explosive destruction of the C4 the mercenaries used to create an escape tunnel, but blowing themselves up instead

She face has to show her relief that he is still alive. Her voice has to give away how relieved she is that he is still there for her to tell

She reaches for the scissors and cuts away the tie wrap restraint holding his hands together. She reaches across the space between them to straighten his collar with her ultimate plan to just lean over and show him how relieved she is by just kissing his smiling lips, when his mother interrupts

"Katherine…Katherine…wake up darling"

Beckett's head snaps up from the bedside where she has sat with her head on Castle's forearm

"Through sleep and tear filled eyes Kate is able to see Martha along with Ryan and Esposito standing nearby

Brushing her hair back with her fingers "Sorry, I must have dozed off…what is it?"

Esposito points toward the hall door. "We need to talk in private"

Kate stands and points into the room "There is no one here"

"Yes, but we need to make sure no one walks in"

Kate looks at rick's mother "Martha can you watch Rick and…?"

Martha waves Kate away "Katherine…of course I will let you know if he moves"

The three detectives go down the hall to a family room and close the door for privacy

When she turns back to the men she is already asking "Guys…what is going on that I need to know about?"

Rand answers first "We got the data from Castle's loft. He had gathered a lot of information but most of it was a duplicate of data we already possessed"

Esposito continues "But he did have some things we did not know about"

Ryan continues again "Do you know who a Mr. Smith is? Castle had a note about a Smith and just a comment 'keeping Kate safe'"

"I knew about someone he had talked to. I just didn't know a name. Was there more than just a last name?"

"No just that. No phone number, address, first name…nothing"

She pause as she is thinking "Anything else?"

Once more, Ryan looks at his notes "Evidently, Castle had used connections in tracking down any information he could find on Hal Lockwood"

Beckett does not understand "Why would Castle look into him?" she wondered

"He was trying to find a money trail on who was paying Lockwood" Esposito answers "Where he came from. How he connected to all this"

"Well. Did he?"

"He worked for an off the books Government Contractor called Arantis Solution's" Javi continues "This is one of those companies that has so many shell corporations around it you can never figure out who owns what"

"So…He ran into another dead end?"

Ryan steps in "Actually no. He found the original Articles of Incorporation listing the incorporators"

"Did that lead anywhere?"

"We found the state of incorporation and thru a lot of digging Castle was almost there finding the directors and stockholders"

"How was he able to do that?" Kate is fascinated by how much Rick had achieved while keeping her at bay

"He used a lot of his connections including someone in the CIA and some underworld characters who had no qualms going deep"

"So did he find the man at the top?"

"Not quite. We found a note that just said 'Benny to call on Monday"

"Today is Monday" Kate remarks "And who is Benny?"

"Probably some crime boss, knowing Castle but in his condition Castle is not where he can pick up his phone" Ryan points out

"No but I have it. Martha left it for me to take care of" Kate reaches into her pocket and looks to make sure she did not miss any calls, but the phone's history is empty

Looking back to the two men "Has Gates said anything?"

Ryan answers "She was not happy that Castle was investigating but she said she understood why he did it since officers had been pulled off the case…"

Then Esposito finished the obvious "And his love for you…But she is on board. She said, based upon evidence, there probably still is a plant in the department feeding data to the person at the top"

"So what will she do?" Kate asks

"She has sent the case to all precincts. Expanding the investigation on your mother's case city wide. She is requesting at least one officer at each station to look into any possible unsolved murders that might be connected" Ryan fills in

Esposito continues "She is hoping to pull some mole out of the woodwork this way"

Kate stands silently listening to the data from her partners

Then Ryan "Are you going to come in and rejoin investigation now?"

She looks toward the room where Rick is still lying in a coma then back to her partners "No. I promised myself that my future with Rick is too important" She looks back to the men "and can I trust you two to do everything possible to bring her killer in"

Her two partners acknowledge her remark before heading out and letting her return to Castle's room

"Everything alright Katherine?" Martha asks the moment Beckett reenters the room

Looking at Rick but answering Martha "Everything is going well"

Beckett feels a vibration on her pocket and reaches in pulling out the ringing device. Castle's phone is signaling an incoming call with the id reporting "Unknown"

She swipes the screen "Hello?"

There is a long pause on the other end of the phone then a deep baritone voice speaks up "Who is this?"

Not yet willing to identify herself Kate asks "Who is this?"

After another pause "Can I speak to Mr. Castle?"

"No I am sorry. He is not available"

"I can call back. Do you know when he will be available?"

"Who is this?"

Another long pause is followed by "My name is Smith and I just need to talk to Mr. Castle"

"I know who you are Mr. Smith…This is Kate Beckett and I know you have been talking to Castle…and I know why"

This time he responds quickly "Then you know why I am calling, Ms. Beckett. You have to stop"

"Stop what, Mr. Smith?"

"Investigating your mother's case. I told Mr. Castle if you backed off, I had information keeping them from coming after you"

"Well, Mr. Smith…first off, Rick is in a coma from a traffic accident and second I am NOT investigating. I have been at his side every moment since he has been admitted to the hospital"

Another brief moment "Then WHO is doing looking for…?"

"The entire New York Police Department. Whoever is at the top of this made a giant mistake breaking into Montgomery's house. This brought out all the resources of the NYPD. They should have thought about all this"

"That could be a problem" Smith reacts to Beckett's statement


	8. Chapter 8

After the conversation with Mr. Smith and him expressing his concern about where this new in investigation might go, Kate calls her boss

When Captain Gates answers Beckett fills her in on the conversation with smith and what she was able to deduce herself from not just the words but the inflections in the conversation as well. It was very evident that Smith was not expecting that one, Castle was in the hospital two, that Beckett was NOT involved in the investigation and three, that the NYPD is now running the show investigating all leads

"Kate, we are making progress. We have determined the name, or at least the alias, the man responsible for your shooting is using. Cole Maddox. That is definitely a false identity. He rented a car at EastWay Rentals and they have located the car for us."

"Where is it?" Beckett asks

"Detective…you are not going to go there are you?"

"No Sir. Definitely not"

"The car is at the Roxwell Hotel in Brooklyn. We have detectives watching the building and there are other officers entering the building one at a time and staging for a takedown"

"Thank you sir. Finding him is important to me"

"Kate…we do take care of our own"

"Yes sir"

"I will let you know of any progress, but we are taking it slowly. This man is obviously very dangerous and I do not intend on him shooting another one of my people"

"Thank you again"

"Now you go back to your man"

Kate smiles at the tone from Gates. A long way from where the two of them began

She has returned to the chair beside the bed and is, once more, holding his hand when there is a knock on the door

She looks up "Come in". She sees Dr. Evans and another staff member, a woman, entering

"Ms. Beckett" the doctor begins, then pointing at the woman with him, "This is Rebecca. She is a social worker for the hospital"

Beckett has stood and walked around the bed to join the other two "What can I do for you? Do you have any word on Rick's condition? I have not talked to anyone lately"

The doctor points away from the bed. Ms. Beckett, it has taken longer than expected for Mr. Castle to wake–up and we need to have a discussion about what is our next step in his care"

"We wait for him to wake up" Kate responds firmly

"Kate…we need to begin to consider that this may not be a temporary situation"

The doctor's remark causes Beckett's heart to flutter in her chest

"What are you saying?" her voice is no longer strong

The social worker answers "We need to look at the real possibility we need to move him to a long term care facility where he can get the treatment he needs"

"You mean a nursing home? RIGHT?" The panic in Kate's voice is real

"We prefer to use other names but you are basically correct" Rebecca responds

Kate turns and walks back to the bed hiding her tears "He has been moving forward. He has squeezed my hand several times" she reaches for the hand on the bed once more "I know he can hear me and he will wake up soon"

"Kate…we have no documented actions on his part only the possibility of autonomic responses"

She looks back "I don't need DOCUMENTED…I felt it. I know he is in there…I know he is hearing me and I will wait until he wakes up"

The social worker moves closer to Kate "We know how hard it is for couples to face this. How long have you and he been together?"

"She rubs his fingers "We have worked together for years and recently got much closer. We were just going to start…then this"

The doctor and social worker have decided they will give it one more day before they insist he be moved to a place where he can get proper care. They leave the room telling Kate that she, due to her holding the Power of Attorney, has to make a decision soon

Stepping back to the bed, Kate looks down at the man that seems to be present in body only. She drops her shoes off on the floor, and leaving her street clothes on, pulls back the covers and climbs back into the bed with Rick.

When she reaches her head to his shoulder, she takes his arm and pulls it around her back and his hand on her shoulder and her arm around his chest

She leans into his mouth and once more begins kissing him and whispering her love for him. And finally, begging him, once more, to please wake up

She is thinking about her mother's case and how they came to this place. How Hal Lockwood murdered Roy. How another assassin was sent for Kate. Kate begins to drift off as her eyes close from sheer exhaustion

She finds herself in her cruiser outside a warehouse. It had been determined to be where her partners Ryan and Esposito are being held and probably tortured

Standing guard outside is one very large man obviously placed to prevent any rescue for the occupants of the building

"If we go in there, they are both dead. I am open to crazy ideas here"

"Well I've got one"

Moments later, the two exit her cruiser, and with her laughing and stumbling like she is totally drunk, she is leaning into Rick. She remembers the warmth that she experienced that night snuggled up against his side. Just like the warmth that he is giving her now.

With a giggle, to hide her voice she whispers to Rick "He's not buying it Castle" then she turns to make her move, pull her weapon, and take out the guard guaranteeing the death of everyone nearby

Castle reaches for her hand at her gun and stops her. She finds herself facing him eye to eye. He pulls her into his space and kisses her gently on the lips

Her heart races and she pulls back from him after just a moment and then it happens. She sees something in his face that she had never seen from him before. It is somewhere between lust and love. Her attention is rapidly drawn back to the guard as he is still approaching.

She makes her move diving back into him with everything she has. Pressing her body into him she realizes that he is nibbling on her lips and she likes it and returns the action. She wraps her hand around his neck and moans into his mouth, returning the kiss with everything she has

She realizes that he has wrapped his fingers into her hair and is massaging her scalp sending electricity coursing throughout her body. She does not want to stop

Moments later her eyes open and she realizes she is back at the hospital, in the bed with Rick, and his fingers ARE in her hair. AND HIS FINGERS ARE STILL MASSAGING HER SCALP. He has his fingers in her hair and they are moving against her skin causing her heart to race and a tingle moving through every cell in her body.

Too scared to move… Afraid he will stop, she lays there accepting the fact he is reacting to her in a positive way. She believes that he is now awake so she takes the chance and speaks

"Castle can you hear me?"

The moment the words leave her mouth…his hand goes limp. She is fighting the tears as she sits up with his fingers still tangled in her hair.

"Castle…Castle…Please look at me. Rick talk to me…please wake up. I know you were touching me…You are remembering"

Her pleading is interrupted by the door knock and her two partners entering the room

She sits up straight "What's going on guys?"

"Did we interrupt something?"

Kate looks at Rick "No…unfortunately"

An answer they never thought they would ever hear from her "We have news"

Beckett stands and exits the bed. The three walk to the opposite side of the room. She is still looking at Rick hoping for another sign "What do you have?"

"We know who ordered the murder of your mother and several others" Esposito answers

Ryan continues "and who the mole in the department was"

"How? I mean what happened?"

"Well you know we had Maddox cornered at the hotel. He did not know we were there in force" Ryan begins the information

"We surrounded the upper floor where he had rented a room. He had Roy's old computer and the Montgomery's wedding album looking for someone Roy knew"

"That might be Smith"

"We think so" Ryan responds

Esposito continues "He definitely was former Special Forces but we outgunned him. He took off for the roof hoping to sneak around to take out whoever followed him, but we had six officers in assault formation. Three moving forward and three covering the flank. Maddox came face to face with three well-armed and ready SWAT"

"Knowing if we caught him, we might find a path to his employer, he decided to end it all by going off the roof and he ran for the parapet wall"

"How did you stop him?" Beckett asks

"We Tasered him" Ryan answers

"When five thousand volts hits your muscles you have no choice but to drop to the ground like a rock. By the time he recovered we had him shackled and carrying him to the cruisers

"Did he tell you who the killer is?" Kate is feeling like they are heading toward a climax

"No! "Esposito answers "He was silent. We kept him in interrogation for hours but he never opened his mouth"

"Did he ask for an attorney?"

"No. He sat silent" Kevin responds

Kate stands silently then speaks "So he was no help?"

"He never spoke but something happened that brought us the answers you have been wanting" Esposito fills in "We were transferring him from the interrogation room to holding, he tried to break away"

Ryan finishes "And he rushed Officer Betty Young"

Beckett looks at the two with a question "The neighborhood resource officer? She only comes around when we are working special cases involving her area"

Ryan begins the answer "It appears she was more than a Neighborhood officer. She made sure Maddox was able to get to her gun. He tried to fire, but Espo was better. Javi took Maddox down before he could fire. LT was close by. He noticed Maddox and young exchange looks before she walked close to him with her holster retainer open"

"And it appears she has been watching you and your investigation of your mother" Esposito tells Kate

Ryan seems almost giddy about something else "But the most important thing was that during the struggle they knocked the elephants off your desk and we found something"

Her face asks the question "What?"

"There was an audio cassette hidden in the base…and we played it back"

"What was on it?"

"Montgomery obviously recorded it during a meeting he had with you mother's killer. Then the man admitted to having her murdered"

Kate can feel her heart race and she becomes flushed. Taking a deep breath to help herself her voice is shaky "Who was it?"

"Then, District Attorney, now Senator William Bracken" Esposito answers

Kate closes her eyes, takes in another deep breath, and lets it out, then turns toward Rick. She walks to the bed and takes his hand "It's over babe. I need you to wake up so we can celebrate"

Looking back up, "So have you picked him up yet?"

The two detectives look at one another then Ryan answers "They are presenting the case to a federal judge to get an arrest warrant…but we thought you might want to do it"

Torn between listening to the update on her case and the man in front of her, Kate had not realized Martha and Alexis had both entered the room. They both heard the report

"Katherine darling" Martha steps up beside Beckett "you need to go do that. You need to be the one who places the handcuffs on him. You need to watch him drive away in the back of a police car."

"Martha…I can't. I promised I would be here when he wakes up"

"I think you being gone for a couple of hours will not be a problem. The doctor's said if…I mean when he wakes up, it will not be like waking after a nap. It will be more slowly. Like a dream world where he will travel between awake and dreams."

Beckett is shaking her head no when Alexis touches her shoulder and continues "Kate. This is something that is best done by you. You will have the closer you deserve. Go do this and then hurry back. OK?"

Kate looks at rick…leans down and whispers her love for him one more time then stands back up "I will be back soon babe" she kisses his lips softly then more firmly.

Beckett looks at her two partners "Let's go" and with a determination Martha has never witnessed the tough detective re appears and heads out the door with her partners

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Martha and Alexis have need killing time watching the local talk show on the television when there is a flash in on the screen with a banner "BREAKING NEWS"

The two women sit up knowing what the event probably is and they are correct. The talking head in the newsroom begins reporting that Senator William H. Bracken has just been arrested on a federal bench warrant listing multiple charges. In the background there is live video coming in from the steps of the Senate chambers showing Ryan holding Bracken by one arm and Esposito on the other with Kate following close behind

Due to the nature of the event, it is all that is being covered by all the stations.

The reporters have finally been able to get the name of the arresting officer and now a photograph of Kate is central to all the reports. The media have gotten the information that the arrest was the result of over a decade of investigation on Beckett's part looking form her mother's killer

Naturally, the news outlets do not have access to all the detail but they are becoming fairly accurate on the back story. One local news desk did reference the fact that Kate Beckett was the model for Richard Castle's heroine Nikki Heat

As the next hour and a half passes both Martha and Alexis' phones become filled with messages from friends and coworkers asking if this is the same Kate Beckett that Castle wrote about. The two women decided to not reply knowing it would just bring more and more questions

Martha states the obvious "This brings much needed closure"

Her granddaughter responds by nodding her head and a quiet "Um Hum"

This is the moment the two women jump straight out of their chairs when they hear the familiar, yet scratchy voice of Richard Castle "Can I get some water?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Let's wrap this one up and put it away**

 **Thanks to all who read and reviewed. you are the ones that make this fun to do**

* * *

The arrest brought a thrill to her soul that she had never experienced before. The look on Bracken's face when he realized she actually knew that he was the one who ordered her mother to be murdered was worth the entire airplane ride from New York to Washington.

The next step in the procedure was to bring Bracken in front of a federal judge to be arraigned and bail set. This required Beckett and her team to be in the room while the prosecutor presented his case. They were there to testify as to how and where the information was found. Making sure there were no holes in the case…no escape from prosecution was available to the man

Most of the time the three sat in the corridor outside the courtroom while attorneys and the judge had legal conversations of law. Kate had heard enough of these type presentations from her parents over the years as one or the other practiced what they would say once in the courtroom

"Kate" The voice of another female law enforcement officer comes from down the corridor and Kate is stunned to see the visitor

"Jordan?" Kate reacts to the presence of the FBI agent. "What are you doing here?"

"The arrest of a seated Senator brings out a lot of Federal Agents and all the resources were called in. In this case, we made simultaneous raids on several businesses that were connected to Bracken. We wanted to make sure any evidence was safe guarded"

"Wow" Kate remarks "So a lot more happened that just us bringing him in?"

"Oh yes and I was sent here to be with you in case you are in need of anything"

"So far we are good. In fact I am great" Kate answers

"So Bracken was involved in your mother's death?"

"He ordered the killing when he was still a New York DA…"

Kate's phone rings listing Martha Rogers as the caller

"Hello Martha" Kate answers obviously panicked "Is everything all right?"

After just moments "WHAT?" Kate reacts "When? How long has he been awake?"

Ryan and Esposito both know what has happened just by what was said but Shaw is confused

Kate continues for a few more minutes then she hangs up then looks at her partners and with tears in her eyes "He has started waking up. He is not yet fully awake. He is barely talking…And I wasn't there"

"Does he know what has happened?" Ryan asks

"Martha said the doctors ran her and Alexis out of the room and they are doing a lot of tests. Checking for reflexes and memory. She said he is totally confused. He doesn't know where he is or what happened. They said he should start recovering his facilities a little at a time"

Jordan Shaw is wondering who Kate is referring to

Beckett looks at her watch "I need to get back to Rick"

This is when it occurs to Jordan that Kate is talking about Rick Castle

"Did I hear you need to get back to Castle? Rick Castle?"

Beckett replies in the affirmative

"So you and Castle finally get together?"

"We are working on that and I need to get back to the city and this case is taking too long and my plane is taking too long"

The courtroom doors open and the prosecutor's assistant exits the room and looks for Beckett and the team. He then tell them "Due to the nature and severity of the crimes and the easy ability that Bracken possesses to leave the country, he was remanded and will remain in jail pending formal indictment and trial"

Kate looks at her watch once more "Our plane doesn't leave for another hour and the flight will take too long"

Agent Shaw decides to assist "I think I can arrange for you to fly in one of the agency's jets. You will be in New York in just over an hour"

A sign of relief appears on Beckett's face "Thank you Jordan. That would be great. Are you sure?"

"Kate, you got a bad person off the street. I believe we can thank you with a little expedited flight"

Within minutes the three New York officers are in the air on their way back north

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Martha and Alexis have been asked to leave the room and allow the medical personnel to test and treat the patient. The two women are just outside in the corridor. Martha had already called Kate and is now sorry she insisted on Beckett leaving at this critical moment in time

As staff enter and leave the two women try to peek inside and get any indication on the status.

Technicians enter and leave. Machines are wheeled in and out. No one seems in any rush because the patient is not in medical danger but his condition is being evaluated carefully to make sure his has, in fact, returned to full consciousness

Finally, after over an hour, the doctor exits the room. He immediately goes to the two red heads. "Well, can we go get out of the way and have a talk?" The man's face is smiling letting the mother and daughter feel good about the condition

After he closes the door and they sit in the chairs "Well…he is awake. We have no doubt. We have done a full mental evaluation on him and are convinced he is in excellent condition"

Both women sigh in relief for the encouragement given to them

"We gave him a full battery of both electronic testing and the usual physical response tests"

"Exactly what does that mean?" Alexis' questions

"We give him a series of words and ask for him to repeat them. Such as 'cat, vacation, fish, truck, Moscow'…then ask him to repeat them back to us"

Martha jumps in "and he did?"

"Yes, perfectly. Then we ask questions such as what city are we in. what is the next holiday, who is the mayor and he again answered every question perfectly"

Alexis issues her concern "So there were no issues with his memory?"

The doctor does react with a small look of concern on his face

"Doctor…I am an actress and I know facial expressions and you just gave one that tells me something is not totally right"

"Well there is one thing that we are not quite sure about"

"What?"

"When someone has been unconscious for an extended period of time they lose the concept of days"

Martha and Alexis both have question on their face "Like what day it is?"

"Yes exactly. When we ask a patient what day it is they respond with the day they went out. They have no concept that they have been in a coma for an extended period of time. We expected him to say it was Monday. The day of the accident. But he didn't"

"What did he say?" Martha is a little worried

"He knew this was Friday. He even knew the date. It is like he was awake for all those days. We don't quite understand but we are looking into other cases when this happened but no one has seen this before"

"Thank you doctor" Alexis responds to the report

"We will be watching him carefully but we believe we are out of the woods and hopefully he will be able to go home in a day or two if everything continues to improve"

Martha is happy "Can we go in to see him now?"

"As soon as the technicians are finished you can. Certainly"

The three exit the family room. As soon as the start down the hall, Martha checks her phone. She thought it vibrated in her purse while they were with the doctor

"Alexis, Katherine texted me. She is on the ground at the airport and is on her way" Martha laughs "She is being brought by an officer running lights and siren" she looks at her watch "She should be here within ten minutes"

Opening the door slowly Martha is first to look in to make sure the room has cleared of medical personnel

The two redheads walk slowly to the bedside and see Rick's eyes are staring at the ceiling almost blankly

"Richard darling…"

"DAD"

The two speak almost the same instant

"Hey" he responds quietly without emotion in his voice

"It is so good to see you awake" his mother remarks

"Yeah" he replies again without emotion again

Alexis has stepped around the bed so Martha is on one side and she is on the opposite. Each takes one of his hands

"Darling…we are so very, very glad to see you awake and no longer in a coma"

He nods his head silently

Finally in a firm voice "Son…what is wrong. You don't seem to be happy to see us"

He shakes his head slowly "That's not it mother"

"Then what is it?"

He takes a deep breath and lets it out

"Aren't you glad to be awake?"

Again no response

"OK Richard…what is wrong. We all wanted to wake up…all of us" partly referring to Kate

"I'm glad you did"

"What is that supposed to mean dad?"

"I'm so sorry pumpkin but something happened while I was in the coma and it made me not want to wake up"

"I don't understand"

He looks toward his daughter. "You know how I feel about Beckett"

"Yes dad…everyone knows including her"

That remark struck him hard. He returns his stare toward the ceiling and a tear appears in one of his eyes "While I was dreaming Kate came to me and told me she loved me. She stayed beside me. I dreamed she actually slept curled up next to me"

The tear rolls down his cheek

"I wanted to keep dreaming that we were together. I wanted to never wake up. I wanted her to tell me she loved me"

A voice appears from the doorway and his head snaps to confirm it is who he thought he was hearing

"I do love you Richard Castle" and she quickly moves beside the bed and leans in and kisses him passionately "I do love you"

The heart monitor takes a sudden upswing. He feels her lips against him and he quickly returns the kiss

She whispers in his ear "I love you and I have been wanting to tell you while you are awake"

"So it wasn't a dream?"

Her response contains a soft giggle "You definitely weren't dreaming"

"You're here?"

"I have been here and I AM going to be here from now on"

"Really" He is now whispering to her "I will be able to go to sleep and not be afraid of walking up from a dream to find you are gone?"

She gives him another kiss then whispers in his ear "You get better so we can go home together and I may never let you sleep ever again"

His eyes almost pop out of his head and the heart monitor beeps wildly

 **FINIS**


End file.
